What is it?

Every now and again we come across a machine or a hand tool that we can’t quite place. We know we’ve seen something like it but it’s not quite the same in some way.

This section is intended as an identification tool for the club so that machinery can be identified conclusively. Manufacturers always had slight variations in their catalogues as their products were improved, or, more frequently, the machinery was improved but the catalogues were not updated. Some manufacturers even sold their products to other companies and changed the badges to suit, so that you may get the same machine in a variety of different colours and names.

As you can see, the possibilities are endless and there is no one person who can claim to know it all. This is where you, the club member, come in. Every member of our club has a specialist knowledge of his particular field and so, collectively, we should be able to identify just about anything concerning our field of preservation.

If you have a photo or a scan of an advertisement you can send it to us for inclusion in this section; just click on the link below to send us a jpeg of the item, and then it’s over to the membership!

This is a grass cutter that has been intriguing Alan Newbould for some time. Is it a contraption that was straight out of Heath Robinson or is it something that was actually manufactured? – This has been identified as an American Ideal Mower – one recently appeared in an auction in the UK and we now know that they were imported to the UK.

2. Farmers Boy – what model?

If grass cutters aren’t quite your thing, how about this from Robert Paige? We know it’s a Farmer’s Boy, but can you tell Robert what model it is?

3. Geo. Monro item?

Helen Redmond has just sent this one in. She doesn’t know what it is and has just been bought from a reclamation yard, but what I can say is that when you enlarge it the maker’s plate says “Geo. Monro”. One for Charlie, perchance………?

4. Mystery Rotavator

Mystery rotavator. These two photos have been sent in by Andrew Lockwood asking for machine make to be identified. The knob on the side of gearbox selects high or low gear, the framework on the front is not original.

9 responses to What is it?

The grass cutter looks as if it’s made in two parts- the cutting cylinder which takes it’s drive from the sidewheels like a trailed gang mower and the large contraption at the back which is basically a mower pusher.

The handlebars look very much like those on early Dennis Premier 36″ mowers and even have the steering brake levers. Similarly the large roller may be from a Dennis so that the steering brakes are operational.

These are purely observations from the photo and may be widely inaccurate. We would welcome any further observations or information so that we can put it into a category in the Galleries section.

This is an email received from Andrew Hall (of Hall and Duck Trust fame).

Sometimes it would be better to speak to the owners of the Ideal in the photograph, namely hdtrust!
Firstly these machines were not imported to the UK during their working life, but many engines have, the one recently sold on the internet site was shipped in the last year from the USA.I shipped 3 in over the last 15 years, They are the oldest one known in the world to include USA dated 1915 a 30 inch machine with Bullnose, A later 1928 30 inch machine and a rare 20 inch machine from 1922.
To top that we also have a Coldwell 1916 with a Woodpecker engine 30 inch machine. The one sold recently ia painted in the wrong colours!
Kind regards
Andrew

it looks close but the handle to engage the drive is mounted the other way round on the handle bars and is welded in place so not something easily changed. could be a later alteration to the design by the company though.

The wheels and gearbox are from a Ransomes Multimower/ Reelcutter. When the world comes to an end and all there is left is dust and ashes, there will be a Reelcutter gearbox somewhere poking it’s head out of the dirt. They are virtually indestructible.